| THE BIG STORY
What we know and don’t know about Donald Trump in the hospital
On Friday evening, President Donald Trump was flown to Walter Reed Medical Center, less than 24 hours after he tested positive for the coronavirus. Here's the latest: The president has been treated with a steroid after his oxygen levels dropped twice since he was diagnosed with COVID-19. This was revealed on Sunday by Dr. Sean Conley, the president’s doctor.
The revelation suggests that the president’s condition is more severe than previously disclosed, despite the rosy picture painted by his medical team.
“Both of those pieces of data tell us you cannot call this a mild disease.” That’s what Bob Wachter, the chair of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told us.
The president received dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that suppresses the immune system. From what we know about treating COVID, it’s helpful in the later stages of severe COVID-19.
The World Health Organization recommends the use of corticosteroids on patients “with severe and critical COVID-19” — and explicitly specifies that it should be avoided for cases that are not severe.
On Sunday, the president rode in an SUV with two people so he could greet his fans. The president's “last-minute” drive-by outside the hospital while being infected with COVID-19 prompted serious concerns about the safety of his Secret Service personnel. Here's how we got here:
👉On Friday, when the president was taken to Walter Reed, the White House press secretary said the hospital stay, expected to last “a few days,” was “out of an abundance of caution.”
👉 On Saturday, Dr. Conley dodged questions about Trump’s health. Pressed multiple times on whether the president needed oxygen, Conley evaded the question over and over. Conley insisted the president was “recovering well.”
👉 Minutes after Conley finished speaking, the White House press pool sent a report with much more troubling views, sourced to someone “familiar with the president’s health.” This source said the president’s vitals had been “very concerning.”
Hours later, the Associated Press and the New York Times attributed the comment contradicting Conley’s rosy remarks to none other than Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff.
Alex Edelman / Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS The broader consequences of the Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis
👉 Trump traveled to 7 states and met with dozens of people before he tested positive for COVID-19. We put together a detailed timeline. You should also know that more than 10 people in Trump’s orbit, including his wife and two sitting senators, have tested positive in the week that they came into contact with the president.
👉 White House officials flouted coronavirus guidance at last week’s Supreme Court celebration. It was likely a superspreader event. So far, the majority of the people who have tested positive were at the Rose Garden gathering and associated events.
👉 What happens if a presidential candidate dies before an election? The Supreme Court predicted “chaos” and had no answers. In a July decision, the justices didn’t resolve what would happen if a nominee died or became incapacitated before the Electoral College votes.
👉 Conspiracy theories are everywhere about Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis. He helped make them happen. Those conspiracies are spreading rapidly on the right and left in the vacuum of reliable information the White House has created.
SNAPSHOTS The Kentucky attorney general released hours of audio from the Breonna Taylor grand jury. The release gives the public a look into the evidence the Kentucky attorney general's office presented to the grand jury.
ICE has plastered graphic billboards about immigration on highways around Pennsylvania. The agency installed billboards across the key swing state, depicting the faces of, as ICE put it, “at-large immigration violators who may pose a public safety threat.” Experts say the move is politically motivated.
17 Republicans voted against condemning QAnon after a Democrat got death threats from its followers. The House’s resolution to formally condemn QAnon, which passed the House 371–18, also comes as at least one avowed QAnon believer is expected to be elected to Congress next month.
Stephen Barnes of famed New York law firm Cellino & Barnes has died in a plane crash. The personal injury lawyer and his niece Elizabeth Barnes died in a plane crash. Barnes co-founded the famed New York law firm which became iconic across the region for its jingle and prominent billboards.
DEEPEND DIVISIONS Trump and the coronavirus are dividing white and Black churches in Georgia
The church cannot be underestimated as a connective public institution. Local churches can bring people together in ways few other institutions can.
In Georgia, the divide between the white and Black church is increasingly bitter and transparent. Part of this is about President Trump, who has polarized religious communities along racial lines, and who faces a real risk of losing Georgia in November.
But the divide has become even more explicit in the day-to-day during the coronavirus pandemic. As one person put it to us, “If you’re a white church, you’re open. If you’re a Black church, you’re not.”
Churches often play key roles during elections, acting as gathering sites to see a candidate in action. Kadia Goba looked at the significant ripple effects of the division between white and Black churches on the election and beyond.
RIHANNA NAVY FOREVER Rihanna just premiered her most diverse show to date and the message behind it is so powerful
Over the weekend, the singer debuted her latest fashion show for her lingerie line Savage x Fenty, and the show was incredible. The show was celebrated for being more diverse and inclusive than ever before.
Rihanna explained how she goes about building something so inclusive and the explanation is lovely: “When I imagine something, I imagine everyone that I know and love being a part of it.”
She added, “I want to make stuff that I can see on the people that I know and they come in all different shapes, sizes, races, religions.” Wishing you a day where hope comes easily, Elamin P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide). 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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